Xhe present chapter is an attempt to trace the evolution of the primeval mentality and reactions toward the dead in the belief that it is important in understanding the development of human dissection. The definition of death as here used is the following: the "cause or occasion of loss of life." Probably prehistoric man puzzled more on this phenomenon than he did on any other theme. Because of his intellectual status, it was more of a mystery to him and his explanation as to its cause was unique and different than ours. Death has always been of more than passing interest to all generations of mankind; there are those who believe that both religion and philosophy are nothing more than meditation upon it (Metchnikoff, '07). One thing which seems to be certain is that the idea of the inevitability of death is a human acquisition. Some animals, like horses and steers, shrink from seeing dead bodies but they have no notion that it is an eventuality. The nearest physiological event occurring naturally during life, with which the primitive mind could compare death, was sleep. So he called the former the "long sleep." He could see, however, that it was of a different kind. His earliest experience with it consisted of observing a tribal member, perhaps a relative, lying cold and silent, clammy to the touch, with glazed eyes staring into space. By contrast to normal slumber, he found that such an individual could not be aroused. The overall picture was such that the presence of the dead filled him with terror, a powerful impulse to flee which he did, thus leaving the body to be ravaged by beasts of prey. Flight and total neglect of the a possible lingering, angry, ghostly influence. Both nature and ancestors were worshiped. All powers were conceived in terms of localized spirits which could be celestial, terrestrial or human. 20 CONCEPTS OF DEAD AMONG ANCIENT CIVILIZATION 21 They were ranked in the following order: those from heaven, earth, deceased emperors, sun, moon and ancestors. The rites of religion were a function of the state and were performed for the people, not by them. The emperor, son of heaven, was the ecclesiastical head of the nation and he alone could perform the ceremonies. By contrast, the classes privately venerated their forbears. The popular faith was practical, the aim being to obtain mundane goods and health in abundance during life. In remote times, the Chinese believed that demons, ghosts, vampires and werewolves populated the country as thickly as human inhabitants and that they could do all kinds of harm. The life of man constituted an incessant battle against them; the only means of defense was considered to be the application of magic and the possible enlistment of their gods as allies. The existence of the dead was imagined to be a ghostly continuation of earthly life in the midst of the living. It was important to them that the dead be properly interred. Great difficulty was often encountered and expense incurred in finding an ideal burial spot. Without this, the spirits might be dissatisfi...

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.dical College of the S t a t e of S o i c t l~ Carolina, ClturlestonONE FIGURE A considerable number of degeneration arid physiologic experiments have been done on the pyramidal tract of various niamrnals without taking into account the mature of its inherent fibers. The only quantitative methods employed on this part of the nervous system have been either general inspection of the pyramids or iiieasurenients of areas, both of which give a n inconiplete picture. It was felt that the application of a refined silver stain to the lower part of the medulla in a series of manimals would give comparative information on the size, number, and speed of conduction of the pyramidal tract fibers. Some clue might be gained also about the disputed cells of origin of this projection system because it is believed the cellular sizes should be proportional to the caliber of the component fibers. MATERIAL AND METHODSEight animals were selected for the study. They include the opossum, mouse, rat, rabbit, cow, cat, dog, and man. The values obtained by Lassek arid Rasmussen ( '39) for man a r e used to complete the series. Two mcdullas were utilized for each species to iriinimize the ef-fects of individual variations with the exceptions of the opossum and cow which involves only one and man where three specimens were studied.The only constant characteristic of the pyramidal tract in the series is that it decussates in the lower part of the medulla. 417

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By comparing measurements as found in newborn spinal cords with those of the adult, it is possible to show to an appreciable extent the changes occurring in the regional lengths, regional quantities of gray and white substance, and total volumes between birth and maturity. Examination of the literature revealed that no separate growth studies of the gray and white substance of the cord have been made on late human fetuses and newborn specimens. It is the purpose of the present investigation to study the four regions of the spinal cord from the quantitative viewpoint in a series of newborn and adult subjects and make comparisons wherever possible. Also in progress is a similar investigation of a series of fetal spinal cords. MATERIAL AND METHODSFor the study, six cords from adult Negro cadavers (three from each sex) and six newborn (four males and two females) were obtained within 36 hours after death. The adult subjects averaged 43 years of age, 168 cm. in length and 150 (estimated) pounds in weight while the newborns averaged 49.8 em. in length and 7 pounds in weight. Between death and removal of the cords, the bodies were kept in a refrigerator in a local hospital. The cords were hardened in 10% formalin 371